The Gut Stuff - Top 5 Takeaways

We’ve had a super busy week as The Gut Stuff came up to Manchester on a roadshow to spread the word about gut health and why it matters!

We met so many incredible experts in the health and nutrition space and learnt so much about the importance of gut health. We are not just talking for people who suffer from IBS or other digestive issues, gut health affects all of us. When it comes to gut health, the old saying ‘you are what you eat’ is definitely applicable.

What better way to round off the week than to breakdown what we have learnt!

1. Gut Health Matters! One of the most important things The Mac Twins are so passionate about! Gut health effects so many things in our lives and bodies, around 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut and 1 in 3 people now suffer from digestive issues. From their research and interviews with scientists, doctors and people suffering from digestive issues they came to the realisation that something needed to change. They set out to educate people and de-mystify the gut.
The belief that if you are sick, you go to the doctor and they give you medicine to cure you and ‘Wellness’ is this middle class, ‘woo-woo’ word for overpriced food, health food shops and sourdough. They want to change this.

Their belief is that yes, you go to the doctor when you are sick, but wellness needs to be something that is on offer to everyone. For them, ‘wellness’ is more than just not being sick, it is feeling your best, or being at your ‘peak’ and a lot of this starts with gut health. They are on a mission to make this available to everyone and not just the middle classes.

2. A great takeaway from the week has to be from Dr Dawn (of embarrassing bodies) If you do suffer from IBS or other issues and aren’t getting anywhere with your GP, she offered up some great tips! Firstly - keep a diary that you can take with you to the doctor recording your food, stress levels, activity, your poo (use the Bristol Stool Chart) and monthly cycle. These things can be huge indicators for GP’s and when they have such a short time to see you, giving them as much info as possible will help!
Speak to the receptionist and ask if any of the doctors in the surgery specialise or have knowledge in the gut. Most Gp’s tend to have natural interests in different areas, so seeing this doctor may be more helpful. You might have to wait longer for an appointment, but it might be more worthwhile!
A normal GP appointment is 12 minutes, so if you feel like you need longer than this ask if you can book a double appointment. You will have to wait longer, but it might be worth it.

3. Food - small changes and swaps can make a big difference to gut health. Amazingly you can change your microbial (what's in your gut) in as little time as two weeks! Food is a big factor in this, so when food shopping or prepping your meal, think about colour and variety! Try to eat as many different colours and types of fruit and veg as possible. Cut down on processed foods. Try not to restrict things out your diet, balanced is important!
Fibre is a big one as most people do not get enough of it!
Fermented foods are great for the gut too! Sourdough, kimchi, sauerkraut are great ones!

4. Don’t fall foul of slick marketing ‘detox’ diets, ‘skinny teas’ etc. Your liver is your bodies natural detoxifier. This works and does its job on a daily basis. You do not need to spend a ton of money to have a healthy gut and it does not need to come in a fancy package. As mentioned above, looking at foods and small swaps can be a big help in changing the health of your gut.

5. Fasting - now we are not talking about not eating for days, this is allowing your gut a little rest time. So fasting from 8pm-8am is something that they recommend trying to see how you feel.

If you want to know more about the Mac Twins and The Gut Stuff - Click here

Thanks so much for reading! And if you have any questions, just pop them in the comments below and we will come back to you! 

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